2013 Volume 4 Issue 2 Pages 179-184
The study aimed to determine the current utilization practices of rice straw, to describe farmers’ awareness and perception about using rice straw to produce straw mushroom, to determine factors affecting farmers’ acceptance to use this technology, and identify the enablers and constraints in adopting straw mushroom production technology To achieve these objectives, a survey of 417 respondents and focus group discussions were conducted in four villages in Mekong Delta, Vietnam and Central Luzon, Philippines. Interviews of current adopters and key informants of straw mushroom production were also done at those two study sites. The survey showed that majority of rice straw in Mekong Delta, Vietnam and Central Luzon, Philippines was burned. In Mekong Delta, a small percentage of rice straw was used to grow mushroom, left in the field and used to feed cattle while rice straw in the Central Luzon was left in the field, used as feed for cattle and for mulching. The study found that farmers have good knowledge of this subject even low percentage of adopters. Using the Logit model, yet the significant factors affecting the acceptability of the straw mushroom production in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam include household income and household size whereas in Central Luzon, Philippines are household income, farm size and willingness to attend additional trainings related to straw mushroom production. On the other hand, the key informants and straw mushroom growers identified the requirements to enhance farmers adoption of straw mushroom culture such as 1) good quality of mushroom spore, 2) mushroom production site, 3) supply a whole-year production cycle (if mass production), 4) techniques to grow mushroom, 5) available labor, 6) knowledge in pre-processing mushroom in case farmers are unable to sell fresh mushrooms, and 7) mushroom marketing.
